Global Agribusiness Industry

The global economy in terms of GDP at current price (USD) was valued USD 87.69 trillion in 2019. Agriculture sector contributed 4% to the global economy, almost USD 3.51 trillion worldwide, with North America holding the largest market share.

Definition / Scope
Market Overview
Key Metrics
Market Risks
Top Market Opportunities
Market Drivers
Market Restraints
Industry Challenges
Regulatory Trends
Market Size and Forecast
Market Outlook
Distribution Chain Analysis
Competitive Factors
Key Market Players
Strategic Conclusion
References

Definition / Scope

Agribusiness encompasses a wide range of activities that generate economic value. Agribusiness is comprised of not only farming, but all the other industries and services that connect value chain. Agribusiness broadly includes inputs suppliers, agro-processors, traders, exporters and retailers. It can be further broken down into four main groups:

1. Agricultural input industry for increasing agricultural productivity, such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides, and irrigation systems and related equipment;

2. Agro-industry products such as food and beverages, tobacco products, leather and leather products, textile, footwear and garment, wood and wood products, rubber products, as well as construction industry products based on agricultural materials;

3. Equipment for processing agricultural raw materials, including machinery, tools, storage facilities, cooling technology and spare parts; and

4. Financing, marketing, distribution and other service firms, including storage, transport, ICTs, packaging materials and design for better marketing and distribution.

Market Overview

The global economy in terms of GDP at current price (USD) was valued USD 87.69 trillion in 2019. Agriculture sector contributed 4% to the global economy, almost USD 3.51 trillion worldwide.

Country	GDP in Trillion (at Current USD)	GDP Share of Agriculture
China	14.34	7.1%
Japan	5.08	1.14%
India	2.88	19.96%
Korea, rep.	1.64	1.69%
Australia	1.39	2.09%
Indonesia	1.12	12.72%
USA	21.37	5.4%
Brazil	1.84	5.5%
Canada	1.74	2.6%
Mexico	1.26	3.47%
Germany	3.85	0.82%
UK	2.80	0.61%
France	2.72	1.67%
Italy	2.00	1.93%
Russia	1.70	3.45%
Spain	1.39	2.65%
Nigeria	418.12	21.91%
South Africa	351.43	1.88%
Egypt	303.18	11.05

USA had the largest GDP share of agriculture in value terms, about USD 1.15 trillion in 2019 despite having the lower percentage share (5.4%) than the percentage share (7.1%) of agriculture in China’s GDP.

China, second in terms of agriculture output value, had about USD 1.01 trillion GDP contributions from agriculture sector.

In percentage contribution of agriculture towards GDP, Nigeria (21.91%) and India (19.96%), countries having GDP over USD 400 billion, ranks first and second among countries covered in the table.

Increment in production needed to meet agricultural demand (%)	2005	2050
World	100	159.6
Africa and South Asia	100	224.9
Rest of the World	100	144.9

To meet consumption demand, agriculture in 2050 will need to produce over 50 % more food, feed and bio fuel than it did in 2005.

Considering 9.73 billion population by 2050, in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, agricultural output would need to more than double by 2050 to meet increased demand, while in the rest of the world the projected increase would be just over one-third above current levels.

Market Risks

Climate variation and weather condition

Climate change and weather conditions can cause variability in crop production, which may impact variability in the volume of crops, stores, transports, trades, and exports.

Cyclical weather conditions in eastern Asia and North America especially the impacts of drought and hurricane have long-term impact on crop production and competitive positioning in the global market.

Crop disease

Production risk in agriculture is directly impacted from crop disease due to plague, insects, and climatic conditions. In cash crops such as Coffee, coffee wilt and coffee rust degrades its quality that is why farmers’ coffee is rejected by the exporters and retail food companies.

Logistics risk

The main mode of transport in shipping crop and livestock is rail and sea transport. A disruption in the sea or rail transport has huge loss for the products such as perishable commodities and commodities that require cold storage.

Production and price risk

Production risk in agriculture arises from the high variability of production outcomes.

Unlike most other manufacturing, farming production cannot be predicted with certainty the amount of output their production process will yield except for limited precision farming, because of external factors such as weather, pests, diseases, and other natural calamities.

Such events are higher for farmers engaged in monoculture of crops that are particularly sensitive to the correct use of high-quality inputs or the timing of harvesting.

The effect of either low production or high production than the expected volume is on the final pricing of the crop deteriorating the bargaining power of the producer since prices of agricultural commodities are typically volatile and farmers face a considerable price uncertainty.

The price of the harvested output is typically not known at the time of planting when the production decisions are taken. Prices of agricultural commodities vary with levels of production and demand at the time of sale.

Moreover, farmers have no real way of knowing how many others are planting a specific crop or how average yields will fare in any given year.

Mechanical failure

A large number of farms have failed to attain profitability in one or more years because of accidents or major disruptions in the production process. A principal cause of disruption in daily operations is often mechanical failure of plant and equipment.

A few numbers of commercial farmers in the emerging and developing countries have panacea from government support. One form of such support is accessibility of latest equipment and machinery for farming.

However, the after- market for such equipment in rural villages is not available where farmers could repair, replace machinery parts, ultimately dismantling the machinery because of the inoperability and switching to conventional methods which require a lot of time and are less efficient.

Top Market Opportunities

Free-From & Natural

Markets include free-from gluten, lactose, allergens, dairy and meat products, as well as organic foods and beverages. Key markets include soy milk and milk alternatives, gluten-free bread and lactose free milk products.

Also, demand for alternatives to milk, eggs, peanut, tree nuts, sesame, soy, fish, shellfish and wheat should be strong as 90% of food allergic reactions are attributed to these nine food groups.

Emergence of future products such as natural sweeteners, natural preservatives and tolerable alternatives to lactose, gluten and allergenic free products may also contribute to this growth opportunity.

The artificial ingredient-free food segment was valued at USD 12.8 billion, and is expected to reach USD 19.06 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 6.1%.

Fortified & Functional

Food and beverage products that contain added health ingredients and nutrients for intended nutritional benefits.

Market demand for fortified and functional foods is expected to continue with global population growth and changes in consumer preferences.

The industry is characterised by a diverse product mix, which range from foods for infant and child development, to nutritious meals for elderly digestive and cardiovascular health.

Key segments in the market include functional milk formula, fortified breakfast cereals, probiotic yoghurt and sports drinks. Growing interest in sports nutrition and performance for instance has increased demand for whey protein, energy bars and related fortified/functional foods.

The global functional foods market size was estimated at USD 174.24 billion in 2018. It is anticipated to register a CAGR of 7.9% during 2019-2025.

Vitamins & Supplements

Products function to enhance or supplement an individual’s dietary or nutritional needs. This includes protein powders, energy boosters and workout products.

Vitamins and supplements are a growing opportunity over the next decade. Consumer health and wellness needs are wide-ranging. Current segments include vitamins and supplements for eye, gut, mobility and joint health and come in various forms such as pills, liquids or powdered mixes.

The global dietary supplements market size was estimated at USD 123.28 billion in 2019 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 8.2%

Personalised Nutrition

Technologies that provide bespoke nutrition solutions unique to individual’s needs. Examples include phenotype nutrition diagnostics and personalised nutrition e-tools.

Alternative Proteins

Foods that are consumed as substitutes to meat as part of one’s diet are alternative proteins. Potential products include plant proteins and emerging opportunities such as insect-based ingredients. Convenience Meals

Pre-prepared or frozen packaged meals sold by supermarkets, grocery stores and other home delivery ready meal services.

Luxury & Novel Products

Food products purchased at a premium for desired characteristics such as brand, quality or innovation. Examples include luxury wines and high-end truffles.

Agri-tourism

Experiences that allow visitors to experience regional Australia and the agribusiness value chain. This includes tours and cuisines at farms, wineries and farm-gates.

The agritourism marketsize will grow by USD 54.63 billion during 2019-2023 at CAGR of almost 18%.

Organic waste conversion

Technologies at the primary production and processing stage that generate useful inputs from organic waste streams are the major aftermarket opportunity segment.

Examples include extraction of nutrients from plant waste. Greater adoption of organic waste conversion processes and technologies within the agriculture and food manufacturing industry has potential to generate strong economic and environmental benefits.

Market Drivers

Agriculture biotechnology

Crop and livestock genomics with the application of technologies such as PCR, Micro-Array, and Next Generation Sequencing is harnessing the growth momentum of global agri-business.

The agrigenomics market is projected to reach USD 18.09 billion by 2025 and it will leverage the overall agriculture industry for better performance.

Cost reducing and output enhancing technology

Disruptive technologies in the genomics field have changes the way agricultural process is handled.

New technologies such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and Arraying have replaced the traditional DNA sequencing and made the genomic process easier and more output oriented.

NGS, for instance, is used extensively in crops to understand genome architecture and expression that are large complex genomes requiring the sophisticated power to decipher.

Another application of NSG is to improve understanding of viruses infecting crops and help prevent spread of infection.

Moreover, Seed growers can use genomic information to accelerate breeding programs by selecting for combinations of genomic markers associated with desirable traits such as drought tolerance, disease resistance, or crop yield.

Similarly, genomic arraying is helpful in the similar manner in animal breeding. Such technological shift is helping accelerate the overall agriculture business.

Use of smart equipment and technology

Agricultural production is increasingly becoming automated due to the increasing application of smart technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

AI in agriculture is applied in three major areas of predictive analytics, soil and crop monitoring, and agriculture robotics.

Rising emphasis on making agricultural activities smarter, more economical, and highly efficient has made AI an extremely attractive option for the farming communities in developing nations.

The AI tools are also able to identify disease in the plant with 98% accuracy. Thus, extensive usage of AI in agriculture equipment is slated to broaden the agriculture market.

Market Restraints

Poor Access to Financing

In order to meet the 17 new global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including their important goals and targets toward ending hunger, poverty and reducing inequality by 2030, the SDG investment required is estimated at more than USD 4 trillion annually.

Current investment in SDG-related areas lags an annual financing gap of USD 2-3 trillion per year of which agriculture, water, climate change and related agricultural and rural infrastructure make up a majority.

The credit support from formal lenders is quite restricted in many rural areas across countries.

The supply of informal lending is dominant in these regions but lacks financial inclusion and literacy in marriage with procedural hurdles.

Globally, total commercial credit to agriculture increased from 2.9% in 2017 to 3.2% in 2019, though still lower than the contribution of agriculture to GDP.

Moreover, the nature of lending mainly from donor agencies is more of centralized distribution rather reaching to every corner of the world. In fact, the agriculture sector in nearly half of the countries received less than 3.5 % of total credit in 2019.

Although, access to formal credit is critical for farmers for purchasing inputs, such as seeds, fertilizer, plant protection materials, animal feed etc. lack of such funding means lowering the production volume.

Government grants

One reason scientific and innovative farming is not accelerating in many countries is that government’s attitude and policy changes towards agriculture.

For example, aquaculture farmers invariably require repeated loans. In addition to loans for capital construction, the farmer usually requires initial operational loans.

These may be followed by short-term loans for annual supplies of seed, feed, new equipment, or expansion. Thus the government monetary policy is important.

Without government subsidy and grants, such technologies will take longer time to implement at grass root level.

The government’s policy toward a new industry, such as aquaculture, may include a number of non-fiscal incentives for the farmer.

These may include grants for development, development infrastructure (such as industrial zones), government equity shareholding, government insurance, leasing of facilities, and even compensation schemes.

There may also be subsidies for construction, equipment, and supplies, labour and manpower schemes, and price support. Finally there may be credit on advantageous terms through quasi-government credit schemes, special loans with deferred repayment schedules, and loan guarantees.

One or all of these non-fiscal incentives may be available to the farmer and, where economically sensible, they should be used.

Similarly the government often implements a number of fiscal incentives for a new industry with a special policy toward duties, taxes, and quotas.

Typical fiscal incentives include duties on physical inputs, import-export duties of products, corporate taxes and income taxes, including tax exemption on commodities earning foreign exchange, quotas, and levies on sales.

It is important for the farmer to determine continuously the extent to which these non-fiscal and fiscal incentives are making the farm operations profitable, as government incentives are usually removed once the industry is established.

Governments may also support the developing industry through a number of valuable services, such as market services (market information, intelligence, promotions, etc.), and technical services (research and development, extension, technical training schemes, etc.).

Again, these are to be taken advantage of by the farmer, but with the recognition that these services will not necessarily be there forever. A change of government, or changes in government policy, is risks to the utilization of capital by the farmer.

The farmer has also to be aware of changes in the industries which are peripheral to aquaculture, and which will influence his profitability.

For example, changes in the prices of fish meal, a staple of the majority of animal feeds, will change the price of the feed he purchases.

Increases in the price of fuel will increase not only his transportation costs, but also general energy costs for pumping water, and heating water in the hatchery.

Changes in salaries and wages obviously alter the monthly balance sheet.

The profitability of any farm is closely tied to the farmer’s management of capital and cash flow, but also to his overall financial awareness of other changes going on about him which have a direct or indirect effect on the profitability of the enterprise.

The farmer will continue to need short-term credit to maintain the operation, and the lending institutions must make certain that credit is always available.

Industry Challenges

Increased use of land, irrigation and agro-chemicals played a major role in the growth of agricultural production during the Green Revolution.

However, it is now recognized that the gains were often accompanied by negative effects on agriculture’s natural resource base, including land degradation, salinization of irrigated areas, and over-extraction of groundwater, the build-up of pest resistance and the erosion of biodiversity.

Agriculture has also damaged the wider environment through deforestation, the emission of greenhouse gases and nitrate pollution of water bodies.

Since the 1990s, average annual increases in the yields of maize, rice, and wheat at the global level have been slightly more than 1 percent, much lower than in the 1960s. The productivity in agriculture has remained the key challenge for many businesses.

Technology Trends

Indoor Farms, Insects, Algae, and Microbe Production

Advancements have been made in controlled growing environments, from next generation hydroponics to “vertical” farming, particularly for produce/greens.

Precision Agriculture

Software, data and equipment are providing growers with a wealth of field and crop health data, which enables yield improvements and provides intelligence to assist with variable-rate application of fertilizers and chemicals.

Innovative Food

As consumer interest in non-animal sources of protein grows, technology is driving advancements in so-called meat replacements, produced through innovative (and still very expensive) cell tissue culture technologies.

While still in their early days, such technologies and the companies behind them, such as Beyond Meat and Memphis Meats, have attracted the investment of majors such as Tyson Foods and Cargill, respectively.

Regulatory Trends

Advanced countries

Advanced countries reflect a conducive business environment for farmers, especially in the areas of registering fertilizer, registering machinery, and protecting plant health.

France, Croatia, and Czech Republic received the highest scores globally, showcasing good regulatory practices as well as efficient administrative processes across a number of indicators.

APAC countries

Thailand was among countries making reforms in the area of protecting plant health.

Myanmar is among countries with best regulatory performance in the time to register a new maize or cereal variety, while China is among the best regulatory performers in terms of the cost of registering machinery.

Vietnam is among the best regulatory performers in terms of quality of manufactured feed for livestock.

India was among countries who have established top regulatory systems for accessing finance.

Bangladesh considerably improved its seed certification capacity. Thailand is among the seven countries that improved the online availability of phytosanitary information, such as a regulated quarantine pest list or comprehensive information on plant pests and diseases.

Kenya also started publishing its list of registered veterinary medicinal products on the website of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board. Pakistan improved the most in the region by establishing a comprehensive warehouse receipts system.

Sri Lanka improved its plant protection regulations and introduced legislation on agent banking. Bangladesh enacted a new seed act that provides tools to improve the country’s capacity to certify seed by allowing the government to delegate seed certification activities to third parties including to the private sector.

Korea improved its phytosanitary legislation by introducing legal obligations for citizens to report pest outbreaks and by imposing penalties associated with non-compliance.

Europe

Armenia and Georgia were among the top ten countries that improved the most over 2016-2018.

Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania have put in place comprehensive regulations governing water, while Ukraine published comprehensive information on pests and diseases online.

America

Colombia achieved a high score combining strong plant health and accessing finance rules with effective water management regulations.

Dominican Republic has introduced electronic applications for the submission of phytosanitary certificates while Peru has introduced a digital system that includes applications for phytosanitary certificates as well as information about their issuance and exchanges with trading partners.

Canada, Peru, and USA have the best credit lending when it comes to agriculture financing.

Colombia is among the seven countries that improved the online availability of phytosanitary information, such as a regulated quarantine pest list or comprehensive information on plant pests and diseases.

Kenya also started publishing its list of registered veterinary medicinal products on the website of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.

Peru introduced a new “ePhyto” system, which includes applications for phytosanitary certificates as well as their issuance and exchange with certain trading partners.

Such digital processes facilitate the timely exchange of information. In Brazil, for instance, the law now allows phytosanitary import inspections to be risk-based, which helps target consignments that are more likely to be either harmful to plant health or non-compliant with local regulation, increasing border efficiencies and improving resource allocation.

MEA

Morocco is a top performer in this region, enacting efficient machinery registration processes and comprehensive water management laws that require information on water resources to be publicly available.

Morocco is also among the top performers in the protecting plant health indicator. Sierra Leone, Malawi, Mozambique, Burundi, Kenya, and Nigeria have improved on aggregate.

Benin, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone and Togo have developed national regulations adopting the ECOWAS fertilizer guidelines, a step toward improving fertilizer quality.

Tanzania has the highest score on supplying seed and accessing finance among low-income countries. Tanzania has one of the most advanced warehouse receipt systems, enabling smallholder farmers to access credit.

Warehouse receipt operators accept deposits of a wide range of crops and provide receipts to farmers through primary cooperative societies. The system is overseen by the Warehouse Receipts Regulatory Board, which facilitates access to credit for Tanzania’s farmers.

In Ethiopia and Uganda, warehouse receipt systems also serve as a reliable mechanism for farmers to obtain credit.

Ghana is among the seven countries that improved the online availability of phytosanitary information, such as a regulated quarantine pest list or comprehensive information on plant pests and diseases.

Kenya also started publishing its list of registered veterinary medicinal products on the website of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board. Côte d’Ivoire, the Dominican Republic and Rwanda

have introduced electronic applications for the submission of phytosanitary certificates to streamline regulatory processes affecting the production and sale of agricultural products.

Market Size and Forecast

Food and agribusiness form a USD 5 trillion global industry. If current trends continue, by 2050, caloric demand will increase by 70 percent, and crop demand for human consumption and animal feed will increase by at least 100 percent.

Market Size by region:

North America & Latin America

Currently, Latin America is responsible for around 16% of all (non-technological) agricultural exports worldwide. Considering the region is only responsible for around 7% of World GDP, a 16% share of agricultural exports.

USA

The U.S. agribusiness industry produced USD 400.5 billion in agricultural products in 2019.

Brazil

Brazil is the largest producer of orange juice, sugar, and coffee in the world. It is also the second largest producer of soyabean, ethanol, beef, and poultry.

Commodity from Brazil	Global Production Share	Global Export Share
Coffee (1^st)	35.3	25.4
Sugar (1^st)	22.8	48.3
Orange juice (1^st)	64.8	77.6
Ethanol (2^nd)	27.4	27.4
Beef (2^nd)	15.4	18
Poultry (2^nd)	14.5	36.4

Africa

The agriculture business in Africa will hit USD 1 trillion by 2023.

Africa is the second largest region accounting for USD 1492.79 billion or 12.67% market share of global agriculture business.

APAC

Asia Pacific was the largest region in the agriculture market in 2019, accounting for USD 8419.05 billion or 54.49% market share.

This was mainly because the agriculture industry in the region needs to feed a large population, characterized by economic development, and rising purchasing power.

India

The agriculture industry in India reached a value of USD 768 billion in 2019. The market value is further expected to reach USD 1535 billion by 2025, exhibiting a CAGR of 12.2% during 2018-2023.

Australia

In Australia, the agriculture industry was valued USD 191.49 billion in 2019, and is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.4% till 2025.

Russia

Crop, animal, and fishery USD 120.07 billion in 2019, and will further grow at a CAGR of 16%.

Middle East

Middle East was the smallest region accounting for USD 414.64 billion or 3.52% market share. However, with abundance of natural gases in the region, the GCC region is the major supplier of nitrogen based fertilizers.

Market Size by Market Segments:

Smart Agriculture

The smart agriculture market is estimated to grow from USD 12.5 billion in 2019 to USD 22.0 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 9.8%.

Precision Farming

The global precision farming market size is anticipated to reach USD 12.9 billion by 2027. It is expected to register a CAGR of 13.0% over the forecast period.

Equipment

The global agriculture equipment market size is expected to reach USD 166.6 billion by 2027 from USD 105 billion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 6.0% from 2020 to 2027.

AI application

The global artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture market is expected to reach USD 2.4 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of above 21 % between 2019 and 2025.

Market Outlook

Seed market

The global seed market size is expected to reach USD 80.9 billion by 2025 from USD 54.40 billion and at a CAGR of 6.4%.

North America and APAC market is projected to hold share of 34% and 30% respectively. The North America seeds market reached a value of USD 19 billion in 2019.

The demand is accelerated as a result of digital farming technology and use of AI in these regions. The demand for maize and soybean seed is largest in these regions.

The major market for genetically modified seed is USA. APAC seed market is estimated to grow USD 25.21 billion in 2025, at a CAGR 9.1%.

Middle East region market for seed will grow from USD 3.8 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 8.24% during 2019-2025.

Fertilizer market

Fertilizer market size was valued around USD 200 billion in 2019 and is likely to exhibit growth of over 2% CAGR from 2019 to 2025.

Rising global population as well as demand for food grains and increasing uses of agrochemicals for higher crop production in limited arable land will boost the global market.

Inorganic fertilizers dominate 95% share. Asia-Pacific was the largest geographical segment of the market accounting for a share of around 60% of the overall market.

The bio-fertilizers market is estimated to grow from USD 2.02 billion in 2019 to reach USD 3.9 billion by 2025, recording a CAGR of 11.6%. Similarly, the global bio-pesticides market is expected to grow USD 8.5 billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 14.7%.

The market outlook for nitrogen based fertilizer is expected to be relatively small in Africa with majority of production capacity located in Algeria and Egypt.

Consumption of Ammonia was below 10 million tonnes in 2019, 68% of which was used for urea production. Developing hydrocarbon pant is considerably slow and politically challenging in the region. Urea demand in Africa is estimated to fall below 8 million tonnes each year.

Equipment market

The global agriculture equipment market size was valued at USD 151.37 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% from 2019 to 2025.

APAC market is valued USD 48 billion holding majority market share of about 32%. Within equipment tools, the agricultural pumps market is expected to grow from USD 3.88 billion in 2019 to USD 6.1 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 7.6%.

The increasing demand for agricultural food products, shift in consumer preferences to higher standards of food safety and quality, and unavailability of labourers in the aftermath of COVID-19 will be some of the driving factors for the rising equipment market.

Distribution Chain Analysis

Value chains involve both horizontal and vertical coordination mechanisms.

Horizontal coordination implies greater organization, usually in the form of some collective structure (typically a producer group) while vertical coordination involves more long-term relationships, often between producers and processors.

Primary actors undertake input supply, production, processing, storage, wholesale (including export), retail and consumption. Secondary actors perform support service roles for primary functions such as transportation, brokerage and service processing.

Those who perform similar functions occupy the same functional “node” [“space”]. These include the input supply node, production node, distribution node and retail node.

Various individuals and organizations play roles in the value chain— government, private sectors, NGO service providers and formal or non-formal networks.

The chain is always embedded into a market system consisting of various functions and rules.

Within this system, different market players are either directly engaged in business transactions or are part of supporting organizations such as business development service (BDS) providers, government institutions or NGOs.

Competitive Landscape

The agribusiness landscape in most developed agriculture markets is comprised of numerous competitors of differing size and ownership structure.

The market is consolidated by major players including Graincorp, CBH, Nutrien, Nufam, and Cargill among other. In the emerging markets, it is a fragmented market and continues to require scale to be able to meet evolving grower needs.

In North America and Australia, there are large national retailers, co-operatives and smaller independent operations competing with each other.

In Brazil, the market is characterized by smaller independent owners and represents an opportunity for larger retailers, to provide a significant improvement in grower performance. All in all, the competition varies in different countries based on varying commodities.

Key Market Players

Player Name	Origin	Operation	Business Activities
Graincorp	APAC	Worldwide	Distribution & Logistics
CBH Group	APAC	Worldwide	Distribution & Logistics
Nufarm	APAC	Worldwide	Crop Protection Service Provider
Syngenta	Europe	Worldwide	Crop Protection Service Provider
Nutrien	North America	Worldwide	Input Producer
Cargill	North America	Worldwide	Grain Producer & Distributor

Inputs, Grains and oilseeds:

Graincorp (Allied Mills)

GrainCorp operates as a food ingredients and agribusiness company involved in storage and logistics, marketing and processing.

The company focuses its activities on four core grains – wheat, barley, canola and sorghum and operates in Australia and overseas.

GrainCorh has 60% JV in Allied Mills. GrainCorp’s operations are divided into three segments:

Grains – Grain storage and logistics services including the import and export of grains and other bulk commodities, and the marketing of grain and other agricultural products, as well as operating grain pools.
Malt – Production and sale of malt products, including brewing inputs and other services, for use by brewers and distillers, and also for export.
Oils – Processing and crushing of oilseeds, provision of edible oils, and operation of bulk liquid port terminals and logistics.

It generated USD 4.9 billion revenue in 2019. Revenue from grains segment accounted for about 51% while malt segment contributed 29% to total revenue. Graincorp is the largest producer of edible oil.

Revenue from oil segment comprised 20% share. Australasia that comprises Australia, New Zealand, and some neighbouring islands is its major market.

CBH Group

CBH is an Australia based largest grain exporter in the world. Its operation includes grain storage, handling, marketing, and processing. The company also provides transportation and shipping services.

The company made total revenue of USD 4.19 billion in 2019. Moreover, it supplied 16.4 million tonnes of grains worldwide in 2019.

Nutrien (Agrium)

Nutrien Ltd is a Canada-based largest crop inputs producer and distributer of potash, nitrogen and phosphate products for agriculture.

The company’s retail operations serve growers in a number of countries across the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and South America.

The company operates six potash mines in Saskatchewan and has a mine in New Brunswick in care-and-maintenance mode.

The company operates integrated phosphate mining and processing facilities, as well as a number of smaller upgrading plants in the United States. PotashCorp merged with Agrium to form NUtrien in 2018.

It generated a gross income of USD 4 billion in 2019. About 73% of the revenue came from the US market.

Nufarm

Nufarm Limited is a developer and manufacturer of crop protection solutions and seed technologies. Seed technologies combine its seed treatment portfolio and the Nuseed business.

Its seed treatment products provide protection and treatment for damage caused by insects, fungus and disease. Through Nuseed, it develops and distributes yielding sunflower, sorghum and canola seed to customers in over 30 countries.

It develops, manufactures and sells crop protection solutions including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides that help growers protect crops against weeds, pests and disease.

Its key crops are cereals, corn, soybean, pasture, turf and ornamentals, and trees, nuts, vines, and vegetables, serving in all the geographies.

The company reported USD 3.76 billion in revenue in 2019. North America accounts for 27.16% of its total revenue market. About 94% of its earning is generated from crop protection solution and remaining 6% constituted by seed technology solutions.

Cargill

Cargill Corp produces grains and oilseeds and provides farmer services and risk management solutions, as well as offers animal nutrition, biofuels, meat and poultry, food, and industrial products, serving customers worldwide.

It made operating revenue of USD 2.82 billion in 2019. 34% of total revenue was generated from North American market.

Syngenta

Syngenta is a world leading agribusiness operating in the crop protection, seeds, professional solutions and flowers markets.

Crop protection chemicals include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and seed treatments to control weeds, insects and diseases in crops, and are essential inputs enabling growers around the world to improve agricultural productivity and food quality.

In Seeds, Syngenta operates in the high value commercial sectors of field crops (including corn, oilseeds, and cereals) and vegetables.

The Professional Solutions business provides turf and landscape and professional pest management products, and the flowers business provides flower seeds, cuttings and young plants to professional growers and consumers.

IT generated USD 13.6 billion revenue in 2019, 78% of which was earned from crop protection segment and remaining from seed segment. Europe and America are its two major revenue pocket regions.

Irrigated Agriculture:

These companies are known for wine, alcohol, and other beverage production. And some are into coffee production.

They turn themselves into vertical integration whereby they source raw materials from their own agricultural farms.

Howard Park Wines

It has a large area of vineyard for its wine production raw material.

Diageo

It is an alcoholic beverage company having its own vineyard.

Costa

It is the largest producer of coffee from its own sourcing of raw materials.

Brown Brothers

It is also an alcoholic beverage manufacturer having its own vineyard.

Strategic Conclusion

Service sector and industry sector contribute most to the global GDP while the contribution of agriculture to global GDP is below 5%.

However, the opportunity in this sector is significantly high, having potential to surpass USD15 trillion by 2025. Food will be the growing concern for the future.

To achieve the needed production goal, both public and private sectors must play complementary roles in harnessing the agribusiness across nations. Government can improve land rights and regulation laws to better regulate the market.

Moreover, overly restricted trade policies should be loosened. Also, private sector participation in supply chain can play effective role. Companies should adopt biotechnology and life science approach to fully replace the traditional agricultural method throughout the globe so as to improve the production quality and capacity.